


It’s the End of the World, All Over Again.

by WeeVaultie



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: AU: no Shaun, Ava is super oblivious to the dangers around her, Comments fill me with joy, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mac would probably die for her from the get-go, Mutual Pining, Past Abuse, Powered Sole Survivor, Self-indulgent fics are my super power
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:22:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22884709
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeeVaultie/pseuds/WeeVaultie
Summary: What’s a poor girl to do when she’s been asleep for the last two years, has little survival experience and is struggling with the small matter of her increasingly unyielding powers?Hire a cocksure mercenary to roll his eyes everytime she makes a bad decision, of course!
Relationships: Robert Joseph MacCready/Female Sole Survivor, Robert Joseph MacCready/Sole Survivor
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

“Holy Hell! Feels like I just ran a-a damn marathon!”

Ava threw her head back and took in a shaky breath, the ventilator in her helmet clanking and whirring as the centuries old equipment filtered the rancid air she took in. She turned back to the large dog that was circling her legs in concern. “You ok there, buddy?”

Dogmeat let out a tired little whine, and shook the dust and dirt from his fur, before bounding off down the road ahead of her. A small smile tugged at her lips. The faithful hound had barely left her side since she found him back at the Red Rocket station. Good thing too, as he had probably saved her life more than a handful of times since then.

“I agree, we should head back.”

Her eyes darted to the flaming oil tanker that sat in the middle of the road, beside which lay the smouldering body of the monster she’d just blown to kingdom come. If she had to guess, she’d say it was some sort of terrible alligator hybrid, or a dinosaur! Just one of its claws was the same length as her forearm from elbow to fingertip and its glassy eyes were a putrid shade of yellow. The idea that there could be more of these creatures lurking out there made Ava want to take herself back to that cursed vault and shove herself into that freezer for another two hundred years.

Alas, she had a job to do.

She forced back the bile that rose in her throat and began making her way slowly towards the Museum of Freedom in the center of Concord, all the while trying to figure out how to trigger the release on her power armour. But there were so many buttons and switches that it was impossible to know where to even start. She would at least have settled for being able to remove her helmet so that she could wipe the sweat from her face.

“Damn thing, why’d they have to make it so freaking bulky?” She grumbled when she stumbled over the uneven tarmac and clung to a nearby car bonnet for leverage. Nate always made it look so easy, parading through town in perfect formation with the other boys on patrol, lifting up the children who flocked to see them in their excitement as though they weighed little more than a handful of down. By comparison she was almost pleased that he wasn’t here to see her struggle to remain upright, and that was without the vast array of weapons and other equipment that would typically be strapped to a soldier's back.

Although, in her defence Nate had undergone years of extensive training and conditioning in order to move seamlessly in this kind of equipment, whereas the only reason she was wearing this armour in the first place was that she simply happened to show up in the right place at the right time.

It was a good thing she was such a fast learner. She liked to think he would be proud of her.

By the time she’d clambered up the stairs to the museum and walked through its main doors with Dogmeat at her heels, the adrenaline rushing through her body had began to wear off, and Ava was becoming increasingly aware of how much her body ached after being ragdolled a few times by that creature. She could feel the beginnings of countless bruises blossoming on her arms and legs, and she was starting to think that the wetness she felt against her face was a little more than just sweat.

“Holy cow! That... that was pretty amazing.” Preston gushed as she approached him and the rest of his group in the museum foyer, a huge grin plastered over his boyish face. She’d stumbled upon the group when she turned up in Concord looking for help, not realising that she had walked right into the middle of a gunfight between them and a savage band of raiders, who had them outmanned, outgunned and hopelessly pinned down.

She could have just ran away, of course. In fact, every rational bone in her body screamed at her to do just that as she weaved her way between bullets and buildings. But that goddamn hero complex of hers wouldn’t allow her to walk away from so much as a kitten in a tree, and Preston may as well have been just that as he stood on the museum balcony desperately calling out to her. She knew she couldn’t possibly leave them defenceless, even if all she had to her name was a rusted 10mm pistol and an uncanny amount of nerve.

Though others would have a better word for it: stupidity.

“What the hell was that thing? Had more teeth than a freaking shark!” She jabbed a thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of where the beast now lay dead in the street and held out her armoured leg, which had deep grooves gouged into it from where the damned thing got hold of her before flinging her half way down the road.

“Deathclaw, nasty little devils. Though, that one was a lot smaller than normal. Mustn’t be a lot out this way for it to eat.” Sturges replied, approaching her and observing the damage to her power armour with interest. “Still, looks like it did quite a number on this baby.”

He ran his fingers over some of the indentations in the chest place. Ava grimaced. “Yeah, and the person inside it, too. Mind helping me figure out how to get out of here?”

“We really appreciate everything you did for us. I’m just glad you’re on our side.” Preston continued as Sturges circled around her and began tinkering at her back.

“Same with you. It’s nice to know that not everyone has turned into a gun-toting maniac out here.” Ava said as the suit suddenly released her with a loud _hiss_. She stumbled backwards out of it, just barely catching herself, and took in a deep breath of stale air.

“Ah, that’s so much better. Thanks.”

Sturges frowned down at her. “Damn, are you alright? You’re in pretty bad shape.”

Ava wiped at her brow, noticing as she did that the back of her hand came away red. Pain was also starting to throb dully throughout her body. Maybe she should have stayed inside of the power armour after all? It seems as though it had been the only thing holding her together.

“Shit, knew I hit my head somewhere along the way.” She muttered, politely waving off Sturges, whose arms were hovering either side of her as though she might keel over at any second.

“You want us to take a look at that?” Preston beckoned her over. But she shook her head, stopping when the movement made it swim with pain.

“Don’t worry about it, hun. Honestly, I’ve had more violent subway rides.”

“Are you sure? We have a few medical supplies left. Stimpaks, med-x-”

“Keep them. I think you need it more than I do.”

As she spoke she took a look around the room at the other survivors in the group; a sour-faced woman and her frightened companion sat in one corner, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with anyone. On the other side of the room sat an elderly woman who was dressed, in her opinion, like some sort of wise old soothsayer. She was eyeing her up keenly, her foggy blue eyes piercing even from the shadows. Ava suppressed a shiver, and looked back at Preston.

“Where were you folks headed anyway? There isn’t exactly a lot out here.”

“Well, we’re on our way to a place called Sanctuary. Y’see, we’ve been on the road for a couple of months looking for a place to settle down. It’s not been easy though. Things’ve been rough ever since Quincy,” Preston paused, his mouth forming a hard line that aged his young face. Ava could guess that there was a story here, and an unpleasant one at that, even Sturges glanced down sadly at the floor. “But, we’ve got it on good authority that Sanctuary is the place for us, and thanks to you we might just make it there in one piece.”

“And all before supper, too.” She remarked with a smile. “I actually used to live in Sanctuary, uh, before the war. It’s a nice place, I think you’ll like it.”

His brow furrowed. “Wait, what war? What do you mean? You’re not-”

“Uh… this is gonna sound a little strange. Probably should have thought about how I would explain this before opening my mouth,” She muttered mostly to herself. “I’m over two hundred years old. I was... frozen - I guess - inside of a vault when the bombs fell. I only just woke up.”

It was almost comical how wide Preston’s eyes grew. “Damn, like one of those old pre-war ghouls? That’s insane!”

She wasn’t certain what he meant by ‘pre-war ghoul,’ but it didn’t sound like as much of a compliment as his tone suggested. Either way, she gave him an indifferent shrug.

“Yeah. Insane.”

“Anyone else make it out with you?”

Her eyes fell, and her fingers brushed against the silver dog tags that were hanging around her neck. “No. Just me.”

“Ah, but that ain’t the whole truth, is it kid?” The elderly woman piped up quietly from her corner. “You’re searching for someone. A terrible, scarred someone who took your husband from you. I’ve seen it. He thinks he can run from you, that he can stay hidden, but you’re not one to be trifled with, are you?”

“Um… I-I guess?” Ava said quietly, an anxious heat rising from the base of her neck. She eyed the old woman carefully as she scratched a perfectly satiated Dogmeat behind the ears with a vague smile. There was no way in hell she should know about any of that. Even Codsworth hadn’t been filled in on the nitty-gritty of everything that happened down in the vault.

_I wonder…_

As if she read her mind, the old woman’s smile widened. “Yes dear, I have the sight. It’s not such a big deal, and I know that you have a thousand questions to ask me, but they’ll have to wait until we’re in Sanctuary. Don’t worry, ol’ Mama Murphy will tell you what you wanna know.”

Ava and Preston both exchanged a bewildered glance as Mama Murphy then rose from her seat and took Sturges’ arm, allowing him to guide her towards the door with Dogmeat in tow. But not before she paused and looked back over her shoulder.

“By the way, when you get to Goodneighbor, follow the loud voices and red lights. Oh, and offer him two hundred. He won’t refuse.”

Ava frowned. “Goodnei-? Two hundred what? What on Earth are you talking abo-?”

“I wouldn’t worry about it just now. Whatever Mama Murphy saw will become clear to you when the time is right. Trust me on that one.” Preston sighed, signalling to the rest of the group that it was time to move out.

“And do her… _visions_ always come true?”

“I’ve never known one not to. That’s why I’m so certain about Sanctuary being the place for us. Mama Murphy said that once we make it there things will finally start to look up. Once we’re there we can rebuild.”

The angry woman scoffed loudly as she got to her feet and headed for the doors, while her companion focused even more fiercely on staring a hole in his shoes. Preston glanced in their direction and ran a hand uncomfortably along his jaw.

“Some of us aren’t convinced, and quite frankly I don’t blame them. It’s been a rough couple of months for everyone. Some have just plain started to lose hope.”

Ava nodded sympathetically. “I understand. When you’re stuck in a terrible situation you begin to question whether or not it’s worth carrying on. But if it helps, I’m glad you did.”

And she meant it. For all she’d seen very little worth being hopeful about since she left the vault, and had been attacked by the vast majority of people she’d come into contact with, it only took one smiling man wielding a laser musket offering up what few medical supplies he had to give her pause for thought.

_Maybe there’s something else out there still worth fighting for? Something that isn’t just cold-blooded revenge?_

Preston practically beamed at her reassurances, and gazed down at her thoughtfully. Ava could see an idea was brewing in his head.

“Say, why don’t you come with us? After all, Sanctuary was your home first. Far be it from us to up and run you out after everything you’ve done for us. Plus, we’d always welcome an extra pair of hands.”

Ava pondered over his offer, her mouth scrunching up to one side as she weighed up the options in front of her.

She was battered and bruised for starters, the cut to her head needed addressing, and she still had no plan of action, no idea what she was doing or where she even needed to go. Plus, she’d barely ventured more than a mile outside of Sanctuary before the shit hit the proverbial fan. Clearly she needed more time to prepare for what was out there if she intended to survive.

A lot more time.

Again, her fingers skimmed over Nate’s dog tags. She couldn’t very well avenge his death if she herself wound up lying in some ditch by the side of the road.

_Soon, baby. I promise._

“Alright Preston, you’ve twisted my arm. I’ll come with you.”

“That’s great news! We should probably get going, snow clouds’re coming in. We don’t wanna get caught out in that.”

Ava frowned, confused, and she chuckled in disbelief. “It’s just a little snow, Preston. How bad can it be?”

* * *

“Shit, kid. You got a fuckin’ death wish? What were you thinking going out in that storm?”

“Well, what c-can I sa- say? I like to m-make an entrance.”

MacCready had turned up in Goodneighbor in the early hours of the morning, forcing Hancock to reschedule one of his infamous tours in order to see to his friend, who was soaking wet, freezing and currently bleeding right on his doorstep.

He’d been running for most of the night through the snow, trying to put as much distance between himself and the Gunners as he could and taking a bullet to his shoulder for his efforts.

It was worth it.

He’d had enough. Enough of the senseless murder, of being ordered around like a child, of trying to act like he could just keep turning a blind eye to what was happening around him because the caps were good.

No amount of caps would make up for the things he’d done.

The last straw had come when the scouting party he’d been sniping for came across a small caravan on the road; a young husband and wife with their baby daughter. They wouldn’t have stood a chance against the jumped up bandits had he not finally grown a pair and put a bullet in the rest of the party’s heads from afar while the family were knelt in the dirt. After he told them to get as far away from the Commonwealth as possible, he’d bolted back to base to grab the few worldly possessions he owned before word could spread of his treachery. No one left the Gunners and lived to tell the tale.

But they sure caught on quick as soon as he started running, hence the reason he was currently bleeding through one of the last clean shirts he owned.

Thankfully, he still had friends in the area, and he knew that Hancock would never turn him away. Good thing, too, because his only other viable option at this hour was Diamond City, and MacCready knew that Mayor McDonough was not so courteous. As soon as the Gunners came knocking, they’d throw his ass out on the street quicker than you could say “MacCready is a synth.”

Inside the State House, Hancock rummaged around in his office for an unused stimpak while MacCready sat down on the sofa and gingerly peeled off his jacket and shirt. Luckily, the bullet had only grazed the skin, but damn it all if it didn’t sting.

“So, gonna tell me what you were doin’ out in the wastes in the middle of a snow storm at this time of night?” Hancock asked, sitting down beside him and injecting the stimpak directly into the graze. MacCready gritted his teeth and inhaled sharply as a searing pain burned through the muscle, but it quickly faded into a dull ache as the miracle drug worked its magic. He flexed his shoulder tentatively, thankful that he wouldn’t be losing any limbs today.

“Ugh, you might wanna pour yourself a drink. It’s a long story.”

“Heh, wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”

No fewer than fourty minutes later, they were both polishing off their second glass each, and MacCready’s arm had finally stopped hurting, though it felt pretty stiff.

“Well, kid, you gonna tell me I was right? Or do I need to say ‘I told ya so?’ ‘Cause you know I will.” Hancock said with a shit-eating grin, standing up to refill their glasses once more.

MacCready stretched his legs out in front of him, and huffed out a petulant breath through his nose. “Alright, fine. I may have fuc- I mean, I may have messed things up a little.”

“A little?”

“Ok, a lot, jeez! Thought maybe I could get away with hanging with those clowns for a couple months, earn some good money. But-”

“But ain’t nothin’ good about their money, kid. I said as much when you ran off with them all those months ago.” Hancock cut in, throwing himself back down on the sofa and reaching for a jet inhaler on the table beside him. He took a deep huff, then gestured to MacCready. “And I still can’t believe you let ‘em fuckin’ brand you.”

He was referring to the crudely tattooed _A+_ on the side of his neck. It was about the same size as his thumbnail and sat right by his hairline, a now permanent reminder of one of the worst decisions he’d ever made in his entire life. A steadily growing list.

“Yeah, well, not much I can do about that now." He grumbled, reaching up and rubbing angrily at the mark. Maybe he could just pay someone to cut it off, what was one more scar among the dozens already littering his body? “So... the main reason I came to you was that I sort of need a place to lay low for a while, y’know, while I get myself back on my feet. You think you can help me out a little, for old times sake?”

Hancock chuckled roughly, like he was almost enjoying seeing MacCready eat a little bit of humble pie (which, in his opinion, was highly likely), and took another hit of jet, the smoke pouring from what remained of his nose. “It’s a damn good thing I like you, ‘Creads. Go talk to Clair over at the Rexford. Tell her Hancock sent you. She’ll set you up with a room.”

A relieved sigh escaped MacCready’s lips, and he smiled for what must have been the first time in days, hell, maybe even weeks. “Hancock, you’re a freaking lifesaver! Really, I don’t know how to tha-”

“Hold up. I ain’t doin’ all of this purely outta the goodness of my heart. I’m gonna want a little somethin’ in return.”

He should have known. No one ever did anything for free out here, Commonwealth law and all.

Well, at least the smiling was nice while it lasted.

“Um, sure. What is it?”

Hancock shrugged smugly. “I’ll decide when the time is right. Now, get outta here and clean yourself up, you look like shit. Gonna start drivin’ away the goods.”


	2. Chapter 2

Ava’s boots slipped and tripped over snowy asphalt and hidden rocks as she dashed across the street to the Rosa’s house, where everyone had gathered to wait out the snowstorm. A fierce wind tried to knock her off her feet, and in all her years she’d never known a cold as biting as this.

 _How is it only October?!_ She thought with a grimace, burying her face in the bundle of cloth she was carrying.

“I found some spare blankets in the cupboard at home, enough to go around.” She panted when she stumbled through the door and shook the snow from her hair. She passed half of them to Sturges and together the pair began handing them out to the rest of the group.

“Great, at least now no one will freeze to death.” He remarked with a grin.

“I only wish I could whip up some hot cocoa for you guys too, that would go down a real treat on a night like this. Ooh, with some of those little marshmallows!”

Sadly, Ava would have to make do with a two hundred year old bottle of water that she’d fished out from the refrigerator in the kitchen and an already open box of sugar bombs that tasted as though they’d been made by someone with only the vaguest idea of what sugar actually was.

Fuck, she did miss cocoa.

As she handed the last blanket to Jun Long, the door swung open again and Preston entered the house, breathing heavily and hauling something pretty large behind him.

“I caught us dinner!” He exclaimed happily, coming to a halt in the doorway with his kill so that he could catch his breath while the others expressed their approval, and some, their sheer relief. Ava took a step closer to get a better look at what he’d brought in and visibly blanched.

“I-it has two heads?!”

“Well how many did you expect it to have? This here’s a radstag,” Preston replied, slapping the creature on its rump. “Saw a herd of them passing by through the fields, probably trying to find shelter in the trees. The rest of them ran off but this should keep us fed for a few days, or at least until this storm passes.”

Ava continued to study the curious creature as Preston spoke, her shock dissipating the longer she looked at it. Aside from the obvious extra appendage, it looked like a very normal deer, a little stunted perhaps, with large patches of fur missing from its sinewy body and long, lethal looking antlers which were broken off in some places.

“Nature really does find a way.” She muttered in bewilderment. How many other species had adapted to life after the bombs like this? Were there two headed horses roaming the wastes as well, or bears? _Ugh, best not to think about two headed bears._

“Sturges, could you get us a fire going? Marcy and Jun, take this guy through to the kitchen and start cutting him up.” Preston continued, gesturing around the group, who sprang into action one by one.

“Is there anything I can do?” She chimed in, secretly hoping that he wouldn’t ask her to help with disassembling the radstag. The sight of the bullet hole in its side alone was enough to make her stomach turn.

“I appreciate the offer, but I think we have things under control, Ava.” Preston smiled kindly at her.

She blinked, surprised. “Oh, ok. Well, if you’re su-”

“Codsworth! Did I hear you mention something about herbs earlier? Some of those would go down a treat with this prime kill here.”

Ava’s Mister Handy came hovering dutifully over, joy practically radiating from him at finally having someone to serve again after two hundred years alone in Sanctuary. Never until her dying day would she forget the relief that washed over her when she saw him outside of her home after escaping the vault, a bit rusted and confused, but nevertheless there. Nate had always been a little unsure of having him around in the first place, and it had taken a bit of persuasion to convince him to see things her way.

 _“Pretty please, baby? He’ll be a huge help around the house. Plus he can keep me company while you’re away. You know how lonely I get sometimes.”_ She’d implored with her biggest eyes.

He never said no to her.

“Of course, Mister Garvey! Oh how lovely it is to meet a man with a taste for fine cooking. Sir never seemed to have the time. After you.”

Together the two of them disappeared back out into the cold, likely to go and raid the kitchen pantry.

 _Her_ kitchen pantry.

 _Well, don’t I feel like the mother of all spare parts._ She huffed silently, pulling her blanket more tightly around her shoulders and sitting herself down in a quiet corner of the house, glaring furiously out of the window as though it was the storm’s fault that she was stuck in her current predicament.

It didn’t make sense. She was perfectly capable of helping out in some capacity. Sure, she didn’t know the first thing about butchering an animal or lighting a fire, and she’d only ever fired a gun a handful of times in her life, but she wasn’t _completely_ useless.

She liked to think not, anyway.

_C’mon Ava, who’re you kidding? Your talents don’t lie here, they lie in the office, where you can hide behind sweet smiles and pretty dresses, sweet talking clients from dawn till dusk. Out here, you’re completely useless._

A sudden nudge against her leg caught her attention, and Ava turned away from the window as Dogmeat lay down beside her and rested his head upon her lap, commanding her to take notice of him.

“Hey buddy. It’s nice to know there’s at least one thing out here I’m still good at.” She said with a sad smile, running her hands through his dense fur while he sighed contently.

“He doesn’t want to overwork you.”

Ava jumped at the sudden voice and clamped her free hand over her chest. Mama Murphy had emerged from one of the spare rooms down the hall, and was gazing over at her with the same vague grin she wore back in Concord. Like she was dangling some big secret above Ava’s head, daring her to reach out and grab it.

Well, she always had been the curious sort.

“He doesn’t- Wait, who’re we talking about?”

“Preston o’course! He’s a good man, too good some might say. He can see you’ve been through a lot and doesn’t want to add to that by ordering you around when you’re in such a fragile state.”

“I’m not fragile!” She hit back defensively. “I just… I want to feel useful, that’s all.”

Mama Murphy nodded understandingly as she took a seat facing her, though there was something in her expression that made Ava increasingly uncomfortable. Was it pity, or fear?

“Trust me, kid, the time for being useful will come soon enough, and before long you’ll crave the days when people would just leave you alone. Popularity comes with a price.”

There it was again, that familiar, ominous tone. A shiver went up Ava’s spine that had little to do with the wind that was rattling the windows in their frames, but at least huddled under her blanket she could pretend otherwise.

_Fuck, this woman sure knows how to set the mood._

“Mama Murphy, you said something to me before, back in Concord, about the scarred man… and the sight. But the thing is, I haven’t told anyone a single thing about him, or what he did. Not a soul. So I can’t help but think… is it true? Are you really inflicted?”

Mama Murphy snorted loudly. “‘Inflicted?’ Well, I suppose that’s the old word for it, a little over dramatic if you ask me. Folk were awful theatrical two hundred years ago. But this ain’t a joke, kid, I do have the gift of sight. And you,” She got to her feet and approached Ava, who without thinking drew her knees up to her chest, much to Dogmeat’s annoyance. “You have power of your own. But you’re afraid of it, and what it might do. Aren’t you?”

Ava turned her face away and took a breath, trying to slow her suddenly racing heart. _She shouldn’t know about that either. There’s no way she should know about that._

Unless she really was telling the truth about her infliction.

“I’ve never… I’ve never really spoken to anyone about this before. Well, I mean-“

“Not since the hospital.”

Ava’s lip wobbled. She closed her eyes and nodded. That settled it, she had to be the real deal. Even Nate didn’t know about the hospital, and the only ones who did had been cut from her life long before the bombs fell.

“What- erm, what have you seen?” She dared to ask, not entirely certain if she was even prepared to hear the answer. Mama Murphy placed a hand on her cheek, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Enough to understand why it is you’re so terrified of people finding out the truth. I can feel it, everything those people put you through... God, I’m so sorry that happened to you, kid.”

And she meant it too, Ava could tell by the way Mama Murphy’s face was screwed up with pain, as though she really could feel every prick, every cut and every drug they pumped into her body. Even thinking about it for a moment made her breath catch in her throat and her hands prickle with pins and needles. She flexed them subtly beneath the blanket and allowed Mama Murphy a moment to compose herself and settle back into her chair before speaking up again.

“I didn’t think that any of our kind would have survived. Are there- are there many of us left out there?”

“Oh, a few here and there, we mostly keep to ourselves though. The radiation has weakened our powers massively over the years. Most amount to little more than parlour tricks. Even I regularly need a little kick before the sight’ll give me anything juicy.” Mama Murphy paused and reached into her pocket, retrieving a small red inhaler which she held up with a sly grin. Ava recognised it immediately as jet and she seized up.

She wanted to slap the thing out of her hands. That stuff was damn well dangerous! How many times had she been restrained and her nose held until she was forced to open her mouth and accept the cursed chem, among many others?

 _”It’s for research purposes.”_ the doctors tried to explain as they tightened the straps around her struggling arms and legs. Well, they could dress it up however they saw fit, but that didn’t change the fact that Ava seemed to have no memory whatsoever of the events that followed her forced intoxication. Though the doctors did all say th-

_Stop it! We’re not falling down this rabbit hole anymore today._

Ava shook her head and drew her gaze to the scorched linoleum floor, her hand going back to Dogmeat’s fur, like some sort of fluffy lifeline. “One more thing - you said the scarred man was hiding from me. Do you know where he is?”

Mama Murphy replaced the inhaler back in her pocket (Ava’s shoulder’s slumped a little with relief), and sighed. “Sorry kid, it’s not like I can actually _see_ the guy, I can just feel his energy, tied to yours. Just like the other one.”

She blinked. “‘Other one?’ Who’re you talking about?”

“A topic for another time,” She decided suddenly, getting to her feet. “A little advice from old Mama Murphy though, before you head out looking for revenge - those powers of yours, they’re a force for good, not evil. Those doctors spent years filling your head with all sorts of threats and ultimatums. It’s no wonder you’ve been suppressing most of your abilities for so many years. But trust me when I say that you need to embrace what you are and stop trying to hide it from the world, because that sort of raw power ain’t meant to be bottled up, and sooner or later it’s gonna explode out of you whether you want it or not.”

And before she shuffled off, she tilted her head to one side and squinted carefully at Ava, a satisfied glint in her eye.

“By the way, if I were you I’d start my search in Diamond City. Plenty places for a murderer to hide, and plenty o’nosey folk who love to gossip about the new guy in town... or gal.”

Ava pursed her lips and watched with a frown as Mama Murphy then turned and left to go and chat with Sturges, who was busy stoking the flames of the fire which was now filling the room with blessed warmth. All the while a sickly feeling bubbled away in her stomach.

She was certain that Mama Murphy meant well. After all, she didn’t have to say a thing about the scarred man or this ‘Diamond City,’ yet did so anyway for her benefit. Why would she do that if not to help her?

But it was the fact that she knew Ava’s secret without Ava explicitly being the one to tell her that didn’t sit right with her one bit. She’d spent most of her life trying to keep a tight lid on what she was and that had all worked out just nicely for her. What was to say that Mama Murphy would keep the secret? What if she got so out of her mind on jet one night that she just up and told everyone else about her powers? What then?

“Worst case, Ava. Stop fixating on the worst case.” She murmured through gritted teeth, thankful when Dogmeat nudged her jaw to get her attention once more - she’d long since stopped scratching his stomach.

“What the hell have I got myself into, boy?” She whispered softly.

* * *

“Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“As ready as I’m ever going to be. I’ve been hiding out in the ass-end of civilisation long enough. I wanna find this guy and get this thing done.”

“And are you certain you don’t want me to tag along? Y’know, provide a little extra fire support?”

Ava looked up from the map she was busy pouring over and gave Preston a smile. “The offer is appreciated, Preston. Truly, you’re a doll. But this isn’t your fight. I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt because of me and my personal issues. Besides, I think it’s high time I found out how good of a teacher you really are, can’t do that if you’re stealing all of my kills now, can I?”

It had been four months since Ava woke up from her ‘long nap,’ and she’d been nothing if not productive in that time, training almost daily with Preston and the others. If she wasn’t learning how to shoot and handle guns correctly, she was being taught the correct way to make camp for the night or how to butcher an animal for supper, all the things your average wastelander needed to know if they intended to survive for longer than one week.

The weather had also played its part in how long she’d been stuck here taking potshots at tin cans lined up against a fence. Winter had been more brutal than anything she’d known before the bombs fell and most nights she’d fallen asleep buried in as many blankets as wouldn’t suffocate her, with Dogmeat curled up beside her for added warmth. She certainly wouldn’t have made it far out in the wasteland on her own even if she wanted to with temperatures as low as they were.

But finally the snows had begun to melt away, and small flowers were beginning to bloom in between the cracks in paving slabs around Sanctuary, signalling the arrival of Spring. It was then that she knew it was time to pack up and head to Diamond City to hunt down the scarred man at long last.

Preston grinned bashfully and busied himself with charting out the safest route to the city center on her pip-boy. “Well, in any case, you should reach Diamond City in a couple of days if you stick to the roads I’ve marked out for you. Caravans often use these so they’re pretty clear. Plus if you see any on your travels perhaps you could convince them to pay us a visit up here? Y’know, establish some new trade routes with the smaller settlements.”

Ava studied the path he’d set out for her, and nodded slowly. “Well, I don’t see why not. We can’t survive on grilled radstag and molerat pot roast forever, after all. I’ll see what I can do.”

“That’s great to hear! Thank you Ava-er, General.”

 _Ah, ‘General.’ There he goes again._ A small, fond smirk crossed her face.

It had been a cute idea at first - bring back the Minutemen from the brink of extinction, rebuild the Commonwealth, take back control from the raiders and other miscreants roaming the wastes etcetera, etcetera. She’d been flattered one minute when he asked her to take up the role of General one evening after a lengthy discussion about the rise and fall of the famed faction, and utterly bemused the next. What made him think that she, of all people, would be suited to such a role? She had only just learned the correct way to hold a rifle for pete’s sake!

“It’s not about how much experience you have out in the field, it’s about believing in an idea. ‘Protect the people at a minute’s notice.’” He explained when she voiced her concerns. “You came to our aid despite having no clue what was happening, despite everything you’d just gone through. That says a lot about the kind of person you are. That’s why I think you’re the one to help put the Minutemen back on the map!”

Well, she simply couldn’t say no to him after that, not when he was looking at her with those large, hopeful eyes, full of optimism for the future.

So here she was, General Ava Devitt. Commonwealth Minuteman and two hundred year old revenge-seeking widow of Nate.

_You could write a whole fucking story._ She thought bitterly.

”Ok, anything else I should know before I leave?” Ava sighed, itching to just get out there before she got cold feet and shut herself up in her home until next Winter.

Preston shook his head. ”I think we’ve gone over every likelihood, you’re all stocked up... Oh! There is one more thing.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sizeable pouch that was full to bursting with something small and metallic sounding. “Can’t believe I almost forgot to give you this. Here, Diamond City’s likely to try and gouge your damn eyes out, but this should keep you going for a while.”

Ava took the pouch and peered inside. She let out a disbelieving chuckle. “Bottle caps? Are you pulling my leg?”

“Um, no? I suppose you don’t know... I should have explained before,” Preston mumbled awkwardly. He was keenly aware of how her lack of understanding of the way the world worked nowadays bothered her, and indeed her lips pursed irritably when he spoke. “This here’s money. I understand they used to use paper back before- well, anyway, caps are the only currency anyone accepts these days.”

Ava looked down at the pouch in her hands, her frustration melting away into guilt. “Preston... I can’t accept this, hun. You’ve already done so much for me.”

“Really, it’s fine. We want you to have it.”

“‘We?’”

“Of course! Me, Sturges, Mama Murphy, even the Longs. We wouldn’t be in Sanctuary right now if not for you. I think you keep forgetting that you saved all of our lives the day we met. That’s not something we’re just gonna shrug off. This is the least we could do.” Preston said in earnest, his hand going to her shoulder.

Ava’s first instinct was to pull away. She never had been comfortable with people putting their hands on her. But she’d spent long enough with Preston to know that he was as much a danger to her as one of Jun Long’s virgin whiskey sours.

Still, it was as much a surprise to her as it was to Preston when she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you, Preston. For everything. I promise I’m gonna kill this bastard, and then we’re gonna rebuild the Commonwealth from the ground up. Just like we said.”

He patted her on the back a little stiffly, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d have thought he was _blushing_. “Y-you just focus on yourself for now, General. The rest will all fall into place in good time.”

And she believed it. God love him, his optimism truly was contagious.


	3. Chapter 3

“Danny, are you kidding me? Open this gate right now!”

Piper listened impatiently to the crackle of static over the intercom for a moment, her nostrils flaring furiously.

“Sorry Piper. Mayor McDonough is really pissed about that article you wrote. He told me to keep you shut out at least until he can calm the city down.” Came Danny’s timid voice from the speaker.

She scoffed loudly. “Like I give a crap what that sneaky, conniving old bastard has to say! You can’t just kick me out, I fucking live here!”

She could hear the rattling of distant gunfire somewhere out in the streets of old Boston and her head whipped around. A tipple of fear pooled in her stomach. Security may be patrolling the area, but she was still standing in an awfully open space with little on her in the way of protection.

“C’mon, seriously, I’m a sitting duck out here! You wanna be the one to tell Nat that the reason her big sister won’t be coming home ever again is that you were too much of a bootlicker to go against your damn orders?”

Danny had some sort of vague, mumbled reply to offer, but it was completely lost on Piper as her attention had already been diverted by the sudden appearance of a young woman, who rounded the corner with a large dog at her side. She was looking up at the city walls with a sort of wistful grimace on her face, dawdling here and there to look at the faded old posters tacked onto the brickwork. Piper rolled her eyes.

“Fucking tourists, don’t have the sense their mama gave them.” She muttered, waving an arm above her head to get her attention. “Hey you! You oughta watch what you’re doing. Getting distracted out here is a sure fire way to wind up dead.”

The woman turned to look over her shoulder at Piper, completely casual and oblivious to any and all danger around them. She must have heard Piper tut however, because she suddenly pursed her lips and stood a little straighter.

“Sorry, uh- I mean, thanks. Still getting used to all this.” She mumbled a little sheepishly, her cheeks turning noticeably pink even at a distance. Piper frowned.

 _Getting used to what?_ “Hey, it’s fine, really. You looking for a way in? I’m afraid you’re fresh out of luck. Danny ‘do-gooder’ shut the damn gate. No one’s getting in or out right now.”

The woman’s disappointment was plain to see in the way her shoulders slumped dramatically. She approached Piper with her arms raised in disbelief, her palms facing upwards like she was hoping a solution would just drop right into them.

“Seriously? But I need to get in, it’s important! What the hell do we do now?”

 _‘We?’_ Damn, she must be either desperate or stupid. No sane person would be so trustful of a complete stranger out here. Did she have a death wish?

Then Piper’s eyes fell on the pip-boy strapped to the woman’s wrist and it clicked.

A vault dweller. Of course, those people were notoriously naive. It was why most of them preferred to stay hidden away in their underground homes, completely ignorant to the goings on in the world above them. Piper was surprised that she’d even made it this far in the first place considering the only vault around that wasn’t either inhabited by monsters or abandoned entirely was at least half a days walk from here.

And more importantly, why did she leave her vault in the first place?

A cunning smile spread across Piper’s face as a plan quickly fell into formation in her mind. “Ok, I think I have an idea of how to get us in, assuming you’re willing to play along?”

The woman’s mouth twisted to the side suspiciously _(Oh, now she wants to act all careful?)_ and she slid her sunglasses up on top of her head, revealing large doe-eyes that were an unusual shade of orange.

“Is it dangerous?”

Piper shrugged. “Only if you consider pissing off some high and mighty airbag to be ‘dangerous.’ But if you’d rather stay out here in the wilderness then be my guest. Though I should warn you, the super mutants can be pretty vicious.”

The woman’s eyes widened by a fraction, and Piper grinned internally. So, she’d already had the pleasure. She continued to watch and wait as she then leaned into a hip and looked back at the wall, her free hand reaching for the dog tags that were poking through the front of her jacket. Piper eyed them curiously - there was a story here, and a good one too, she could feel it.

Eventually, the woman shrugged and turned back to Piper. “Well, suppose I don’t have much of a choice. Either way I need inside. What do you need me to do?”

Piper gestured for her to follow her over to the intercom and cleared her throat. “Just follow my lead…”

* * *

Spring couldn’t come quickly enough to the Commonwealth in MacCready’s opinion, he had decided that by the fifth consecutive day of snow.

He’d been cooped up in Goodneighbor for four solid months with little to occupy his time and very little work to keep him afloat. He was grumpy, bored and damn near broke. The only stable work available for him right now was running courier jobs out of Bunker Hill, which was the only place still receiving regular deliveries during the Winter months, and while he would simply have loved to be trekking up there every single day, he had to be more careful than usual if he wanted to avoid a bullet to the back of his skull.

Word had reached MacCready that the Gunners had been keeping an eye out for him, and although he had no reason to suspect that they had any idea where he was hiding, it wasn’t a particularly wise move for him to be traipsing all over the Commonwealth by himself where he could be cornered at any time. So for now at least, he stuck close to Goodneighbor, taking the odd job that was available to him and just trying to keep his head down, the less attention he drew to himself, the less likely it would be that the Gunners would find him. Come the Spring, he would be able to get the hell out of here and start making some real money, then things would have to start looking up for him.

In any case, the Third Rail was proving to be his particular favourite haunt while he waited out the Winter. There was cheap booze, music, and most people were content to just let him sit by himself in the darkest corner he could find and leave him well enough alone.

Unless that person was Hancock.

“You finished shovelling snow for Daisy already, kid?” The mayor asked by way of greeting as he approached and pulled up a chair beside him. He held up two fingers to the barman, Charlie, who came hovering over seconds later with a couple of glasses and a bottle of amber liquid.

“Uh huh. Don’t think my hands’ll ever be warm again, but at least Daisy pays in food as well as caps. Half the reason I took the job was for a decent warm meal.” He accepted the drink that Hancock poured him with a nod of thanks and downed it almost in one, coughing a little at the burn in his throat.

“Well, work’s work I suppose, even if it means putting the rifle down for five minutes and picking up a shovel so that our sweet little Daisy can open up shop and keep this town afloat. Speakin’ of which, I may have use for that rifle of yours pretty soon.”

MacCready paused in the middle of retrieving a cigarette from his coat pocket. “Oh yeah? What kind of work we talking about here?”

“The kind of work that calls for a skilled professional, kind I’m willin’ to pay handsomely for. I’m waiting for a little more intel, might take a couple of weeks, but the job’s yours if you want it.”

MacCready looked over at Hancock through a haze of cigarette smoke, a grin slowly spreading across his face. Nearby, decent pay _and_ he got to shoot something? Count him the hell in!

“Sure Hancock, why not? What’s the job? Who or what do you need me to shoo-”

“There you are!”

Both men looked up, MacCready in particular squinting through the dimness of his progressively less quiet corner of the bar, and saw Fahrenheit striding over to their table, rubbing her hands together with a frown on her face.

“Fahr, what’s going on?” Hancock asked, knocking back his drink with a sigh. Clearly he anticipated bad news.

“Finn’s up to his old tricks again. He’s out there right now trying to shake down a couple of newbies at the gate. Why the hell won’t you just let me shank him?”

“Because that’s my job.” Hancock seethed, getting to his feet and gesturing with his head for Fahrenheit to follow him before looking back over his shoulder at MacCready, who was busy pouring himself another glass of whiskey. “Don’t you fuckin’ drink all of that. Somethin’ tells me I’m gonna need a little more before the day is out.”

MacCready huffed out a laugh through his nose and held up his glass in a mock-toast. “No promises, man. Sure you don’t need backup?”

“Nah, wouldn’t want you getting your pretty little face all beat up on my account.”

“Oh, just my face, then?” Fahrenheit remarked dryly as they walked up the stairs together.

Outside it had begun to snow again. Not quite enough to fully coat the already sodden ground, but from the look of those clouds they were in for one final snowstorm. Clearly Winter wasn’t quite finished with the Commonwealth yet. Hancock secretly revelled in that fact. Sure, the weather may play havoc with the number of supplies coming into town and costs tended to skyrocket as a result, but he just loved the cleanliness that came from a fresh blanket of snow, the calm and the quiet it brought. It reminded him of the books he used to read about the far north when he was a kid.

He spotted Finn almost immediately, his leather jacket sticking out like an ugly black stain on the snow, in the middle of his usual spiel about insurance policies and dangerous folk around town. He didn’t realise that the most dangerous one of all was right behind him, painting a big fat target on his back.

He turned his attention to the two intended targets of his little scam, and recognised Piper from Diamond City. That in itself was odd. He explicitly remembered her calling Goodneighbor a ‘den of hyenas and dishonourable bastards’ a couple of years ago when he invited her over for a _special_ interview, and told him in no uncertain terms that she would never set foot through its gates.

Yet there she stood, her face twisted into a disdainful grimace as Finn talked her ear off.

The shorter of the two was nearly invisible behind Finn, icy blonde hair the only thing he could see from this angle. A child, maybe? Piper did have a kid sister he recalled, though he’d never seen her before. The very thought boiled his piss something rotten. Extorting money from regular drifters was bad enough, but children? That was a serious line to cross in Hancock’s book and he quickened his pace, eager for Finn to meet the business end of his knife, before suddenly slowing again, mortified at himself.

_Jesus, John! You can’t just go around stabbing people in front of kids! What the hell kind of a monster would that make you!?_

Exactly the kind that those jerkoff’s in Diamond City and the Brotherhood thought he was, that’s what.

“You’re the one who’s going to need insurance if you don’t back off!”

Hancock frowned. That was an awfully mature sounding voice for a kid. He and Fahrenheit exchanged a look and advanced down the street, and only when Finn took a step back in surprise did he get a good look at the second person. His brow shot upward.

That was no child standing there, that was a whole damn woman! She must only have stood at about five feet tall, if that, and was wearing a long brown duster that was at least two sizes too big for her, yet didn’t quite manage to conceal her slender legs in those tight jeans. Hancock couldn’t help but salivate a little at the thought of what that jacket _did_ manage to hide and smirked to himself, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Fahrenheit.

“Control yourself, Casanova.” She muttered less than subtly.

Hancock shrugged a shoulder, not daring to look away from the ongoing spectacle as Finn, momentarily taken aback by the woman’s unexpected outburst, got right up in her face.

“Oh sweet cheeks, you’re gonna regret speaking to me like that. In fact, if you and your pal don’t hand over everything you’ve got in your pockets, I’m g- _argh!_ ”

Hancock’s jaw hit the floor and he burst into an obscenely loud fit of laughter as the small, innocent enough-looking woman pulled her arm back and lamped Finn square in the nose, sending him sprawling into the slush where he rolled around, howling madly up at the two women. Piper let out an impressed “Holy shit!” and even Fahrenheit grinned like a proud mother, though she brought a hand up to her jaw in an attempt to mask her humour. That was his cue.

“Well, well, Finn, I’d say you’re a pretty fuckin’ lucky guy.” He declared as he approached the sad sap lying on the ground, kicking up snow under boot . “See, I was on my way over here to stick a knife in your ribs for all the shit you’ve been causing me these last few months when this... _charming_ stranger and her companion happened by to put you in your fuckin’ place for me.”

As he spoke he tipped his hat to the pair. Piper regarded him with a tut and rolled her eyes dramatically, but the other woman appeared to be completely enthralled by his performance. Though her eyes widened in a familiar way as she took in his face and he noticed her hand inch ever closer to the gun at her hip.

_So, she’s unfamiliar with ghouls. Very peculiar._

“I think you oughta thank them for saving your life, don’t you?” He continued, revelling at the fury and humiliation in Finn’s eyes at the mere suggestion.

“Bitch broke my fucking nose!” He cried, his voice muffled by the hands across his face and the thick blood that was streaming from both of his nostrils.

Hancock knelt beside him, his voice low and deadly, and he opened his jacket just enough to reveal the wicked blade he kept hidden in the lining. “Now Finn, you know how it is here. We wanna make a good impression on all our visitors. Can’t have them going away claiming Goodneighbor folk ain’t got manners, _right?_ ”

He stared at the knife for a moment, tears springing in his eyes. Whether they were tears of fear or pain, Hancock didn’t really care.

Eventually common sense prevailed. Finn let loose a shaky breath and shot the women the most petulant look imaginable.

“Th-thank you.”

Piper smirked, trying not to look like she was enjoying herself too much, and the other woman grinned nervously down at her own feet before looking Finn straight in the eyes.

“You’re _very_ welcome.”

“Great, then it looks like we’re all pals here!” Hancock exclaimed, jumping back to his feet and dragging Finn up with him, dusting snow and grit off of his jacket before leaning in close enough so that only he could hear.

“Try that shit again, and no amount of broken bones’ll stop me from gutting you like a fish.”

And with that, he patted him firmly on the back and released his hold on him so that he could scurry off into one of his little holes, before turning to address the couple. “Sorry about Finn, he’s uh-”

“An asshole?” Piper offered.

“I was gonna say ‘woefully uninformed businessman.’ But sure, asshole works too.”

The other woman chuckled at his remark, and now that he was unoccupied by Finn’s dramatics, Hancock was momentarily stunned by how white her teeth were, almost as white as the snow around her, framed by rosy pink lips. There was something about her that struck him as familiar, though he was certain he’d never met the woman in his whole life.

Of that he was absolutely certain.

“Anyway, I hope that incident hasn’t ruined your impression of our little town. Goodneighbor’s of the people, for the people. Everyone’s welcome here, y’feel me?”

“Sure, ‘welcome.’” Piper remarked, shooting a look down at the droplets of blood on the ground where Finn had just been lying.

“ _Everyone_. That includes you too, Piper. I love reading that paper of yours.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You… you read Publick Occurrences?”

“Course I do! And may I just say that the piece you did on McDonough,” He kissed the tips of his fingers. “Absolute perfection. Hope he didn’t give you much of a hard time over it.”

“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” She shrugged, before noticing her companion raise her eyebrow pointedly and seemingly remembering why she was here. “A-anyway, we’re here looking for Nick Valentine, we heard he passed through here working a case. So if you could just tell us where he went and we’ll be on our way.”

“And who’s ‘we’ exactly?” Hancock asked, looking over at the blonde woman. Like hell he was letting her get away without at least catching her name.

Her eyes flickered warily for a moment in Piper’s direction, but whatever hesitation she had was quickly pushed to one side as she then fixed her face into a polite smile and held out a hand for him to shake. “My name’s Ava Devitt. Nice to meet you Mister…”

“ _Mayor_ Hancock, seeing as apparently we’re being all official,” Hancock grinned wolfishly, taking her outstretched hand. “Devitt… I feel as though I’ve heard that name befo-” he stopped shaking her hand abruptly when it hit him. “Wait, aren’t you the girl from Piper’s latest article? The time travelling vaultie?”

As quickly as it came, her smile vanished again. She took her hand back and immediately turned to Piper. “So much for your article being ‘low-key.’”

“Hey, it’s not my fault your story is the talk of the entire Commonwealth. Not like there’s anything else interesting to talk about these days.”

Hancock raised his arms passively. “Hey, it’s cool, I ain’t about to start layin’ on the questions. Though I won’t lie, you intrigued me way before I learned your name. There is one thing I’d like to know, though.”

“And what’s that?” Ava sighed.

“We’re all the girls back then as pretty as you?”

Her pale cheeks suddenly flushed as red as a tato and she bowed her head awkwardly so that her face was mostly concealed beneath her hair. Hancock tried his best to conceal his bewilderment.

_I just watched this gal lay out a guy twice her size, yet one little innocent remark and she’s practically turned into a mouse._

__

__

_How interesting..._

Piper, however, had clearly heard enough from him. “Ok I think that’s more than enough friendly banter for today. So Hancock. Valentine. You gonna help us or not?”

“Yeah yeah, sure Piper I saw him, couple o’weeks ago. He passed through here to ask some questions about the local mob, we had a couple of drinks, I told him what he wanted to know and then he left.”

“Did he say where he was headed?”

“Well, he talked a little about some vault, never said where exactly it was, though.”

Ava, who was now fussing over the creases in her sleeves, looked up from behind her hair and hummed quietly. “Well, what do you think, Piper?”

“I think we know about as much as we did before we arrived.” She grumbled, placing both hands on her hips irritably. “I say we head back to Diamond City and regroup, make sure that Ellie didn’t miss anything on Nick’s desk, like a fucking address.”

“Why don’t you try the Third Rail? Nick did have a few words with Charlie before he left, maybe he knows a little more?”

Ava’s eyes widened hopefully. “He did? Well then, we should go speak to him. Right Piper?”

Piper glowered at Hancock, clearly unhappy that she wasn’t getting out of here as soon as she would have liked. But she couldn’t ignore the large puppy dog eyes that Ava was fixing her with and she sighed loudly. “Ok _fine_. We go ask Charlie if he knows anything. But we’re leaving straight after, ok?”

“Yeah, yeah, promise!” She smiled. “Anyway, didn’t you say something about wanting to pick up some ammo while you were here?”

“KL-E-0’s the woman for that job,” Hancock chimed in, gesturing to the assaultron manning the weapons store. “An’ if you need anything else, talk to Daisy. She’ll give you a good price. She’s pre-war, too.”

Ava eyed the ghoul in surprise. “Pre-war? Like, from my time?”

“The very same. You two’ll probably have loads to talk about.”

“Huh. Well, thank you Mr Mayor. You’ve been very helpful.”

“Yeah, _helpful_.” Piper repeated with a raised eyebrow, ever suspicious.

“It was the least I could do after Finn gave you such a rude welcome. You just be sure to come back and visit me some time, ok? Been a while since anybody so interesting graced my little corner of the world.”

“Oh... trust me, I’m not all that interesting once you get to know me.” Ava mumbled sheepishly, offering him one final nod and a smile he would surely be seeing in his dreams later that night, before she turned and made a beeline for Daisy’s store without so much as a backward glance. Piper held back for a moment, grinning smugly.

“Don’t take it personally, Hancock. I’ve seen her shoot down at least two of Diamond City's finest since she turned up in town. She mustn’t be a fan of men in crazy getups.”

And with that, Piper too walked away, leaving Hancock standing by himself in the town square, somewhat offended by her comment.

He liked to think he had more charisma than a couple of jumped up town guards in umpires gear, and far better style to boot.

“Where’re you going?” Fahrenheit asked from her position by the State House door when he turned on his heel and began walking away.

”To my office. I know I kept that last issue of Publick Occurrences lying around somewhere. Wouldn’t hurt to refamiliarise myself with the new girl in town. I wonder if sh-”

“John...”

He spun around at the sudden seriousness of her tone, and sucked in a breath when he set eyes on the pair that had just walked through the gates.

“Shit, knew they’d be here sooner or later. Go tell the kid. Put him in the VIP lounge and make sure he stays put. If they don’t find him they’ll just leave.”

He glared over at the two Gunners as Fahrenheit nodded and took off towards the Third Rail. They were looking around Goodneighbor with a sort of smug indifference, as though trying to size the place up. Hancock palmed his pistol beneath his jacket, hackles raised. If they thought for one second that they were going to come into his town and lay a hand on his people, then he was about to teach them a very painful lesson.

The same lesson that came to everyone who crossed John Hancock.


	4. Chapter 4

“Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!”

“I think you mentioned you were stupid.”

“Actually no. I’m not stupid, I’m a complete fucking moron! What is _wrong_ with me?!”

Ava wrung her hands together anxiously and followed Piper down the stairs of the Third Rail. The knuckles of her right hand still throbbed from where she lamped Finn - the soft skin completely unused to anything so physical- and she flexed then slowly, continuing to curse herself silently for allowing her emotions to get the better of her in the heat of the moment. But it wasn’t like she had much of a choice.

_It was either that or… Ugh, I’d rather not think about it._

She could feel it, the static in her fingers, the buildup of fear as Finn loomed over her, threatening them. She had to do something or else risk losing control of her powers, and she really didn’t want a repeat of what happened back in the vault.

No matter how much they deserved what she did to them.

“Well at any rate, you might wanna keep those fists of fury to yourself from now on, Blue. These aren’t the kind of people you just slap around without a second thought.” Piper warned as they entered the bar proper. Ava got one quick glance around the place before she gagged and clasped a hand over her nose.

“God, that stinks!”

The place was filled with the familiar, heady stench of your typical dive bar - sweat, crappy beer and damp, mixed with the less familiar scents of blood and gun oil. Those last two seemed to follow her everywhere she went these days, out on the road and in Diamond City, and it was especially potent here in Goodneighbor. A sign of the times she now lived in, she supposed.

The bar itself was built in what remained of the old subway station and clearly every effort had been made to disguise that fact - the tracks had been covered up with wooden boards, a stage and lights had been set up at the edge of the concourse and everywhere she turned there were chipped tiles and piles of rubble that had been topped with plant pots or other ornaments in what she guessed were a vain attempt at beautifying the place.

She had to hand it to them, the place certainly had charm. Despite the smell.

“Yeah, that’s Goodneighbor for you. C’mon, Charlie’s over this way.” Piper grabbed Ava’s hand and began to navigate the crowds of people amassed in the bar, most of whom were gathered around the stage listening to the tall dark haired woman upon it singing loudly. Every now and then Piper would stop and gently shove aside any boisterous folk who got a little too close, then look over her shoulder to ensure that Ava was alright. She couldn’t help but smile fondly back whenever she did this.

Ever since they ran into one another outside of Diamond City two weeks ago Piper had treated Ava like a little sister. She’d taken her in, fed her and given her a place to sleep on her sofa while she was in town, and she had immediately offered to help look for Nick Valentine when they discovered he’d gone missing. Ava had wanted to pay her for all the trouble she’d put her through, but Piper simply wouldn’t hear it:

_“The interview you did for Publick Occurrences has sold more copies than I can ever remember shifting in my entire life, I can probably even afford to put Nat through school next year! You don’t owe us a single cap.”_

In truth, Ava had been less than thrilled with the prospect of giving an interview about her ordeal. The last thing she wanted was more eyes on her, gawking and demanding answers as to what her life had been like before the bombs and what she thought of the world today. But Piper had done so much for her that it didn’t really seem fair to refuse her request.

_At least she respected my wishes and didn’t mention the scarred man in her article, the last thing I need is for him to find out I’m after him and run again._

Piper only released her hand once she’d delivered them safely up to the bar and she then waved her arm to get the attention of the Mister Handy behind it, who was busy serving drinks with one arm and wiping down the counter top with the other. As soon as he noticed Piper he approached slowly, almost lazily.

“Whadda you want?”

Ava’s eyebrows shot up. “Well, what was rude.”

“I ain’t paid to be polite, love. If you’re buyin’, buy. If not, clear off and let me tend to some actual payin’ customers.”

“Hey Charlie, we’re actually looking for someone. A mutual acquaintance of ours. Hancock tells us you were the last person to see Nick Valentine before he went missing. Know where he was going?” Piper chimed in with a smile.

Charlie narrowed his mechanical eye at them. “Valentine? Sure, I saw the old sack o’spanners about a week and a half ago. But if you wanna know where he went it’ll cost ya. I ain’t runnin’ a charity here.”

The two women spared a look at one another and Piper rolled her eyes dramatically, then sighed and began fishing around in her pockets for some caps. “Fine, two vodkas. Make mine a double.”

They waited patiently as Charlie went away to get their drinks, and as he did Ava took the opportunity to have another look around the bar. There seemed to be people from all walks of life here - farmers, caravan owners, mercenaries.

A shiver went up her spine as she eyed one of the latter men. He was armed to the teeth with all manner of weaponry and was in the middle of some dangerous looking knifeplay with a group of equally well armed men and women, grinning viciously down at the blade he was stabbing the space between his fingers with while the others laughed and egged him on. Ava turned away before one of them could take offence to her staring just in time to see someone descending the stairs.

She recognised her as the woman who’d been shadowing Hancock throughout their conversation outside, and even then she couldn’t help but be stunned by her size. She had to be at least six feet tall, well muscled, with bright orange hair that was shaved at one side and a scowl that would make even Marcy envious.

She continued to watch as the woman crossed the room in a few careful strides and began speaking to a figure she couldn’t quite see who was sitting in a shadowy corner of the bar. She looked pretty stressed and spoke animatedly to the stranger, gesturing firstly towards the staircase, then to a room behind the pair which was illuminated by red mood lighting.

_Hold on a second..._

“‘Ere we are.” Charlie announced suddenly, recapturing Ava’s attention as he reappeared holding two full glasses, which he slid in their direction, and snatching Piper’s caps up from the countertop. “Now, where were we?”

“Valentine. You were telling us where he went?” Piper pressed impatiently.

“Oh aye! Well, Valentine came here to ask me what I knew about the mob boss known as Skinny Malone. Used to pop in now and then for a few. Apparently he kidnapped one of the Diamond City darlings. Some rich tosser’s daughter.”

Ava couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her and she covered her mouth in an effort to mask her giggling. “I-I’m sorry, ‘Skinny Malone?’ That sounds like someone right out of an old gangster movie.”

“Laugh all you want, love. The guy’s a real nasty bastard. Does a lot of work with Marowski, drug runnin’, weapons sales, I hear he’s started dabblin’ in the slave trade too. Operates out of Vault 114 from what I’ve been told.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that one. It was built over the sight of Park Street Station, they only got finished a couple of days before-” She paused and gave her head a shake. “Uh, never mind, I’m rambling. So, you think that’s where Nick went?”

“Well I would bloody assume so. An’ that’s all I know. No more questions.”

And without another word, Charlie hovered away to serve another customer. Piper pushed off from the bar and steered Ava over to a free table in the corner where Hancock’s associate and the stranger had been talking moments ago. Though they were nowhere to be seen now. There, Ava began flipping through the map on her pip-boy, looking for the site that marked the old subway entrance.

“Here it is. It’s not so far to walk, we could make it there before sunset.”

“Ugh, I can’t stand vaults, something about them just gives me the creeps.” Piper grimaced, her shoulders hunching over as she shivered.

Ava laughed haughtily. “Couldn’t have anything to do with the inhumane experiments Vault-Tec carried out on their unsuspecting residents, could it?”

“Maybe. Or maybe I’m just not a huge fan of closed spaces.”

“Piper… Y’know if you’re uncomfortable with any of this you can go back to Diamond City. I’m sure I’ll be alright-”

“Blue, it’s not that I doubt you or anything, but you’re not the only one who wants to find Nicky. I just wish we had some more guys at our back that could help us, y’know? But like hell am I gonna waste my time asking Diamond City security for help.”

“What about Hancock? He and Nick seem to be quite close, maybe he could help?”

Piper scoffed and knocked back her drink. “The last person I want to be in any kind of debt to is Hancock. We’ll be fine, we just have to be smart, don’t take any unnecessary risks.”

Ava nodded and took a sip of her drink, pulling a face at the taste. She never had been much of a drinker anyway and the stuff tasted foul, exactly the way she expected two hundred year old vodka to taste. But if there was ever a time when she needed a little liquid courage, it was now.

Piper was right. They were just two people going up against the mob of all things. Was this really a smart idea?

“You ready to head out?” Piper stood up as she spoke and slung her bag over her shoulder in one swift motion. Ava froze.

“I…”

“Oh wait, I still need to pick up some ammo before we go. Finish up your drink and meet me outside, ok? Don’t take too long.”

Piper turned to walk out and almost collided with the chest of a large, bad tempered looking guy in worn military fatigues. Ava tried her best not to glare at the site. There was no such thing as ‘impersonating a soldier’ anymore, no honour or respect attached to the clothes one wore. It simply didn’t matter.

Instead, she glared at the look he gave Piper, like she was little more than something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of his boot.

“Watch it, little mouse!” He snarled, shoving his way past with another identically dressed man who smirked at the pair as he followed his companion. Piper shook her head silently at their backs, then walked off towards the stairs.

Only when everyone around her was gone did Ava slump down in her chair and push her glass away from her, she suddenly couldn’t stomach another sip.

_What if I just go and ask Hancock for help anyway…? Nah, Piper would kill me for going behind her back like that. But this is life and death, surely she can put her hatred of him to one side until after we rescue Nick?_

She looked up when she heard a cheer and saw the group of mercenaries she’d been watching before, they were still sitting drinking and gambling. A sudden thought came to her. They were guns for hire, right? She could just pay for their help and then they would rescue Nick with minimal issue.

At least it was a better plan than trying to work out how she would calm Piper down when she turned up with Hancock at her back.

Ava got to her feet and crossed the room a little hesitantly to where they were sitting. One of the mercenaries paused mid-drink and raised a scrutinising eyebrow at her.

“What?”

“Um, how much? Y’know, for your services?”

He looked her up and down, as though he were trying to decide her worth based on her scruffy scavenged clothes, and scoffed. “For you, eighteen hundred.”

Her jaw hit the floor. “Caps?”

“No, Dandy Boy Apples. Yes woman, caps! I take payment upfront, if you ain’t got it then scram and let me get back to my game.”

Ava sighed and stormed off before things could turn ugly. _Well, that was a monumental waste of time._ She would just have to face it. It was just her and Piper against fuck only knows how many mobsters.

She was about to turn and head for the stairs when the sound of raised voices suddenly grabbed her attention. Peering through the crowds of people, she saw that they were coming from the room with the red light. Her eyes widened when realisation set in.

_Wait, this is…_

Ava took a look around the bar, no one else seemed to be paying any attention to the ongoing argument. Hardly surprising, she supposed fights were as commonplace in here as they were out in the wastes, perhaps more so. From this distance she couldn’t hear what exactly was being said, only that there seemed to be three sets of voices. She needed to get closer.

She approached the door carefully, her eyes glued to it the whole time. It felt as though the light was only getting brighter the closer she got, but that was surely only her imagination. She’d just gotten close enough to the room to see the backs of two of the shouting men when a young woman sat at the table next to her grabbed her arm.

“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you, hun. Those Gunner’s are nothing but trouble.”

Ava blinked. “Gunners?”

“Murderers, thugs, bad news all ‘round. Hancock took in a deserter a couple months ago, looks like they found the little bastard. Good riddance I say.” She said sourly, releasing Ava’s arm and going back to her drink without another thought.

Ava pursed her lips, second guessing herself. Why did she even care about any of this? Was she seriously considering walking in on some sort of serious argument that had nothing to do with her and possibly getting her head blown off as a result? Was her death wish that great that she was willing to risk her life simply to eavesdrop on some random gangster’s conversation?

Apparently, yes.

* * *

MacCready knew that it had all been going too well.

The moment he saw Fahrenheit walking over to him with that grim expression he knew… he just knew that the Gunners had made it to Goodneighbor. And although Hancock had insisted he hide out in the VIP lounge until they left again, MacCready knew that wouldn’t be enough to keep them away for long.

“I gotta say Winlock, whoever you’ve got working recon for you guys needs to be fired. Four months is a hell of a long time to chase down one renegade.” He said in a low voice to one of the two Gunners stood in front of him.

He was on his feet the moment Winlock and Barnes entered the room, his hand hovering above his pistol as a warning. They knew how fast he was. Surely they wouldn’t try something stupid here of all places?

Then again, they wouldn’t be the first ones to do so.

“Well look who’s acting the part of tough guy for a change! I don’t recall seeing this side of you a few months ago when I laid that last beating down on you. Good for you, MacCready.” Barnes sneered delightedly.

“That’s pretty rich coming from the guy who got gored in the ass by a radstag, I didn’t know your voice could go that high.”

“Look, we’d love to exchange pleasantries with you all day but we’ve got business to attend to,” Winlock interjected, drawing himself to his full height, not that he needed to. MacCready was shorter than both Winlock and Barnes without them needing to show off. What he wouldn’t give to be six feet tall right now. “Fact of the matter is this - you’re still under contract with us, kid. So either you get your ass back to Mass Pike and fall the fuck in line real fast, or you quit takin’ contracts for good and go back to shovelin’ manure in the Capital.”

 _Like you assholes would seriously let me live regardless?_ “I have a better suggestion - how about I just keep doing whatever the hell I want, and you two go blow each other? I don’t take orders from you any more, so get the hell out of here before I lose my temper.”

That didn’t go down well.

“You know kid, you’ve got a lot of fuckin’ nerve! We pulled you up from the gutter and gave you a goddamn purpose in life when no one else gave a shit and _this_ is how you repay us? You’re lucky we don’t redecorate this whole place with your brains right here and now!”

MacCready tensed his jaw and opened his mouth to butt in on Winlock’s tirade, but a sudden movement over by the door caught his eye. At first, he assumed that Winlock and Barnes had brought someone else along to watch him being shaken down and was about ready to spit venom at the way the coward lurked in the shadows.

But then they emerged into the light of the VIP lounge and the sight of ice-blonde hair triggered an unusual and unpleasant constricting sensation in his chest.

He recognised her immediately from the bar. She’d come in a short while ago with Piper of all people and stood at the counter for a while talking to Charlie. MacCready remembered her particularly as she couldn’t seem to wipe that terrified expression off her face, he supposed she’d be quite pretty otherwise. He’d continued to watch from his table in the corner as her wide, erratic eyes darted about the room from person to person. He’d assumed she was some sort of junkie at first, except her hands didn’t jitter about and her eyes weren’t bloodshot or twitchy.

But what the hell was she doing here now without her fiery-tempered friend?

She stayed just inside the doorway watching what was going on inside with keen interest, her eyes narrowed as she eyeballed Winlock and Barnes, who were still jabbering on furiously, making obscene threats and suggestions as to what they were going to do with his body. MacCready couldn’t help the snort that escaped him when he realised he hadn’t been paying attention to a word they’d been saying.

“You think this is fuckin’ funny, punk?” Barnes fumed, stepping so close that MacCready could smell the shitty bourbon on his breath. He wrinkled his nose and sank back into his chair, feeling fully confident that nothing was going to happen to him while he was here, not if Hancock had anything to say about it.

Or maybe his newfound cockiness was due, in part, to the strange, stupid woman who was standing watching him right now.

“Don’t you guys have a school to burn to the ground or something?”

“Look, we came here to deliver a message and as far as I’m concerned it’s been delivered. If we catch you working our territory after today, your head will be on a fuckin’ spike. Got that?”

“Loud and clear, princess.”

The two men sneered down at him. Barnes spat at his feet, and then they turned to leave. As they did they both noticed the mysterious newcomer, who was now leaning against the wall watching events unfold quietly. The sight of her standing there only seemed to anger Winlock further and he approached her, getting right up in her face just like he’d done with MacCready moments ago, Barnes following close behind like a loyal dog.

“Sorry darlin’, I’m afraid MacCready here’s just gone out of business. You probably wanna think harder about the kind of people you trust your caps to anyway. You don’t wanna go makin’ deals with the wrong sort. It could get you a lot of _unwanted attention_.”

She stared back, her face a perfectly blank mask compared to earlier when he saw her in the bar. But MacCready could tell she was on edge by the subtle way in which she straightened her spine, wary of the two men who towered over her. Most people wouldn’t even have noticed it, but that’s where MacCready really separated himself from the chaff - he was paid to notice things that others didn’t.

For example, right now he noticed that his anger was simmering just below boiling point at the balls on these two clowns. Who the fuck threw their weight around to a woman half their size?

She bristled at the world ‘darlin’,’ and MacCready saw her jaw tighten irritably. “‘Wrong sort.’ Ok, duly noted.” She said in a very deliberate tone, her lip curling disdainfully as she looked Winlock up and down.

He grunted and signalled for Barnes to follow him. Together they left the VIP lounge and MacCready released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and leaned his head back against the chair, rubbing furiously at his eyes. As he did, he noticed the light above him flickering erratically. Strange, it had been fine a moment ago.

_Great, where the hell am I gonna go now? I can’t just leave the Commonwealth. Not yet._

He looked back over at the woman, who was watching Winlock and Barnes disappear through the bar, back still poker straight. He huffed out an irritated breath.

“Look lady, can I help you or something? I’m not looking to make friends or ‘find Atom’ or any of that other crap. So if that’s what you’re here for then don’t waste your breath or my time.”

She started, as though she’d completely forgotten he was there, and then made to sit in the chair opposite him, scoffing lightly. “Believe me pal, the feeling’s mutual. I’m just looking for someone skilled with a gun to help me out on a job.”

Now that she’d come a little closer, MacCready was able to get a good look at her, and he was right, she _was_ awfully pretty now that she’d wiped that terrified look from her face. She was small and pale skinned, with a sharp jaw and full lips, and her hair hung in messy waves from a loose ponytail. Her large orange eyes observed him curiously as she spoke and she folded her arms across her chest, albeit a little awkwardly due to the pip-boy that was strapped to her arm.

_A vault dweller?_

There was no mistaking the signature piece of tech that everyone who grew up in a vault owned. He’d always wanted one ever since he was a kid, but they were an incredibly rare find, due in part to the fact that vault dwellers rarely ever ventured far outside of their underground homes. In fact, he only knew of one other who had done just that.

_Huh, haven’t thought about him in a while. Maybe I should write?_

MacCready cleared his throat, and focused back on the matter at hand. “Ah, so you need a hired gun? Well, that I can help with.”

She raised her eyebrows hopefully and the ghost of a smile crossed her face, MacCready did his best to ignore the strange feeling in his chest at the sight and put on his best business face.

_Focus, man. She’s just another pretty face. Girl like that probably has some tall dark and handsome bastard waiting back at her vault anyway._

“Tell you what, pay me two-fifty and I’ll go with you, wherever it is you’re headed.”

_And get the hell out of Goodneighbor while I’m at it. I can’t exactly stay here anymore._

She hummed quietly and nibbled on her bottom lip while she thought through his proposal, and MacCready watched as one of her hands came up to play with a silver chain around her neck.

“Two hundred’s my offer.” She said at last.

“Wh- two hundred lousy caps? Do you even know how good I am?”

She replied with a shrug. “If you were that good wouldn’t you be out there with all those other mercs?”

MacCready gaped at her, completely aghast. The nerve of this woman! “You’re kidding me, right? Those assh- _losers_ couldn’t hit a brahmin’s ass with a barn door!”

“Oh really? Funny, because they’re charging more than three times the amount you are.”

“Damn daylight robbery is what that is,” MacCready muttered sourly. He didn’t want to sell himself short, but even two hundred caps was the most money he’d been offered in months. And he _did_ need to get out from under Winlock and Barnes’ noses. He shot the woman a hard look and sighed loudly. “Alright, _fine_. Two hundred it is. You just bought yourself an extra gun.”

Her face broke into a glorious smile as she jumped to her feet and held out a hand for him to shake. MacCready flinched a little as he felt how cold her fingers were.

“Name’s MacCready, and you are…?”

“Devitt. Ava Devitt”

“Ava- wait,” He looked down at the pip-boy, then back at her face. “Aren’t you the girl from Piper’s article?”

She immediately closed her eyes and threw her head back irritably. “Dammit Piper! That’s the last time I agree to talk to the press.”


End file.
